This page explains '''how to create and use Fedora USB media'''. A Live USB system stored on flash memory, sometimes called a ''stick'', lets you boot any USB-bootable computer into a Fedora operating system environment without writing to that computer's hard disk. The Live USB stick can feature an area to store changes to the system, called a ''persistent overlay''. It can also have a separate area to store user account information and data such as documents and downloaded files, with optional encryption for security and peace of mind. Finally, with a non-destructive installation, pre-existing files and excess storage space on the stick are accessible from the system. Essentially, you can carry your computer with you in your pocket, booting it on nearly any system you find yourself using.

−

With current Fedora releases you can also write the non-live Fedora installation images (the DVD and network installation images) to a USB stick, which many users find more convenient and faster than writing to an actual optical disc.

+

This page explains '''how to create and use Fedora USB media'''. A Live USB system stored on flash memory, sometimes called a ''stick'', lets you boot any USB-bootable computer into a Fedora operating system environment without writing to that computer's hard disk.

−

{{admon/note | Quick start | The process for most people is simple. Almost all USB sticks are provided by hardware manufacturers ready to use with this process. If you have any documents on your USB stick, it's not a bad idea to ''back them up'' before you start.

+

The Live USB stick can include a feature called a ''persistent overlay'', which allows changes made to persist across reboots. Without a ''persistent overlay'', the stick will return to a fresh state each time it is booted.

−

* Download the '''LiveUSB Creator''' program from http://fedorahosted.org/liveusb-creator if you're on Windows, or install on your Linux system using PackageKit or yum.

+

It can also have a separate area to store user account information and data such as documents and downloaded files, with optional encryption for security and peace of mind.

−

* Download the Live ISO image from http://fedoraproject.org/get-fedora.

+

−

* Insert your stick and run the '''LiveUSB Creator''' program.

+

−

Then reboot your system and use your computer's built-in function to choose the USB boot device -- usually this is a special key you hold down at boot time, such as '''F12'''. Then enjoy!

+

You may also use a ''non-destructive'' method to create the stick, meaning existing files on the stick will not be destroyed.

−

If you are into technical details or want more information on alternative tools and advanced usage, please read on.}}

+

By combining these features, you can carry your computer with you in your pocket, booting it on nearly any system you find yourself using.

−

__TOC__

+

However, if you do not need the extended features, it is recommended you use the simplest possible "direct write" method to write the stick, as this will provide the best chance of it booting on the widest possible range of systems (though it will destroy all data on the stick). The way to do this is described in the "quick start" sections at the top of this page. If you wish to use the extended features, those methods are described later in the page.

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{{admon/important | Creating Live CD ISO image | A Live USB system is created from the same ISO image file that is used to create Live CD/DVD media. You can download ISO images for the official Fedora release from [http://fedoraproject.org/get-fedora the Fedora download site]. Consult [[How to create and use a Live CD]] for more information on creating your own customized ISO image file.}}

+

With current Fedora releases you can also write the non-live Fedora installation images (the DVD and network installation images) to a USB stick, which many users find more convenient and faster than writing to an optical disc. The "direct write" method is always recommended for writing the installation images.

−

= System Requirements =

+

{{anchor|quickstarts}}

+

== Windows quick start (direct write) ==

−

* A working computer running GNU/Linux, Windows or MacOS.

+

{{admon/important | Destructive method | This method will destroy all data on the USB stick. Alternative, non-destructive methods are described later in this document.}}

−

* A [[wikipedia:USB flash drive|USB flash drive]], also known as USB stick, thumb drive, pen drive, or jump drive, with 1 GB or more of storage space.

+

−

* A Fedora ISO file, which you can download from http://fedoraproject.org/get-fedora.

+

−

== Ability to boot from USB media ==

+

# Download a Fedora image, choose a USB stick that does not contain any data you need, and connect it

# Choose the Fedora image as the '''Image''' (SUSE Studio) or '''Filesystem image''' (Rawrite32) - if the image file is not shown, you may have to change the file selector options or change the image's extension

+

# Choose the USB stick in the drop-down box by the '''Copy''' button (SUSE Studio) or as the '''Target''' (Rawrite32)

+

# Double-check you're really, really sure you don't need any of the data on the USB stick!

# Wait for the operation to complete, then reboot your computer, and do whatever you need to do to boot from a USB stick - often this will involve pressing or holding down '''F12''', '''F2''' or '''Del'''.

−

* Not all computers can boot from USB media, due to different BIOS settings and system capabilities. If your computer cannot do so, this procedure will not be useful. If you are not sure and don't mind downloading and installing an image on your USB drive (possibly wiping its data), the only risk is wasting some time.

+

== Linux (GNOME) quick start (direct write) ==

−

* If your USB stick is not in working order, this procedure may fail. Watch for error messages during the process.

+

{{admon/important | Destructive method | This method will destroy all data on the USB stick. Alternative, non-destructive methods are described later in this document.}}

−

= GNU/Linux instructions =

+

This method is for people running Linux with GNOME, Nautilus and the GNOME Disk Utility installed. A standard installation of Fedora, or a standard GNOME installation of many other distributions, should be able to use this method. On Fedora, ensure the packages {{package|nautilus}} and {{package|gnome-disk-utility}} are installed. Similar graphical direct-write tools may be available for other desktops, or you may use the [[#dd|command line "direct write" method]].

−

== Identifying your USB disk ==

+

# Download a Fedora image, choose a USB stick that does not contain any data you need, and connect it

+

# Run Nautilus (Files) - for instance, open the Overview by pressing the Start/Super key, and type ''Files'', then hit enter

# Wait for the operation to complete, then reboot your computer, and do whatever you need to do to boot from a USB stick - often this will involve pressing or holding down '''F12''', '''F2''' or '''Del'''.

−

The first step is to identify the name of the USB drive partition.

+

== OS X quick start (direct write) ==

+

+

{{admon/important | Destructive method | This method will destroy all data on the USB stick. Alternative, non-destructive methods are described later in this document.}}

+

+

Unfortunately, there is no known useful graphical tool for a direct write on OS X. The [[#unetbootin|UNetbootin]] utility described later in this document works on OS X, but cannot be guaranteed to produce reliably bootable Fedora images. This console-based method is not as graphically easy as using UNetbootin, but it is more reliable.

+

+

# Download a Fedora image, choose a USB stick that does not contain any data you need, and connect it

+

# Open a terminal

+

# Run {{command|diskutil list}}. This will list all disks connected to the system, as {{filename|/dev/disk1}}, {{filename|/dev/disk2}} and so on. Identify - very carefully! - which one corresponds to the USB stick you wish to use. Hereafter, we'll assume it was {{filename|/dev/disk2}} - modify the commands as appropriate for your stick.

+

# Run {{command|diskutil unmountDisk /dev/disk2}}

+

# Type <code>dd if=</code>, then drag and drop the Fedora image file to the terminal window - this should result in its filesystem location being appended to the command. Now complete the command with <code>of=/dev/disk2 bs=1m</code>, but ''don't hit Enter yet''. You should wind up with something like {{command|sudo dd if<nowiki>=</nowiki>/Volumes/Images/Fedora-Live-Desktop-x86_64-20-1.iso of<nowiki>=</nowiki>/dev/disk2 bs<nowiki>=</nowiki>1m}}

+

# Double-check you have the correct disk number and you're really, really sure you don't need any of the data on the USB stick!

+

# Hit Enter

+

# Wait for the operation to complete, then reboot your computer, and hold down the left Alt/Option key to access the boot menu - you should see a Fedora logo. Click this to boot.

−

* Insert the USB stick into a USB port.

+

__TOC__

−

* Open a terminal and run {{command|dmesg}}.

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{{admon/important | Creating a live ISO image | A Live USB system is created from the same ISO image file that is used to create CD/DVD media. You can download ISO images for the official Fedora release from [http://fedoraproject.org/get-fedora the Fedora download site]. Consult [[How to create and use a Live CD]] for more information on creating your own customized live ISO image file.}}

−

* You will see something like

+

{{admon/note | Fedora Guide | The procedure documented in this guide is also detailed at http://docs.fedoraproject.org/readme-burning-isos/ . The Guide may have different content, and be more or less detailed. If you edit this page or find a problem with the Guide, please also file a bug against the guide to have its content updated.}}

−

<pre>

+

== System Requirements ==

−

[32656.573467] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdX] Attached SCSI removable disk

+

−

</pre>

+

−

where sdX will be sdb, sdc, sdd, etc. '''Take note of this label''' as it is the name of the disk you will use. We'll call it ''sdX'' from now on.

+

* A working computer running GNU/Linux, Windows or OS X.

+

* A [[wikipedia:USB flash drive|USB flash drive]], also known as USB stick, thumb drive, pen drive, or jump drive. For most Fedora live images, you will need at least 1 GB or more of storage space. For the network install image, 400 MB or more should be sufficient. For a DVD image, you should have at least 4.7 GB.

+

* A Fedora ISO file, which you can download from http://fedoraproject.org/get-fedora.

−

== Checking USB disk size ==

+

=== Ability to boot from USB media ===

−

As noted before, the disk must have at least 1 GB of storage space. You can check this by running the {{command|df -h}} command. Look for a line like the following:

+

* Not all computers can boot from USB media, due to different BIOS settings and system capabilities. If your computer cannot do so, this procedure will not be useful. If you are not sure and don't mind downloading and installing an image on your USB drive (possibly wiping its data), the only risk is wasting some time.

−

<pre>

+

* If your USB stick is not in working order, this procedure may fail. Watch for error messages during the process.

−

/dev/sdX1 3.9G 4.0K 3.9G 1% /media/usbdisk

+

−

</pre>

+

−

and make sure the first column reads more than 1.0G.

+

=== UEFI boot of USB sticks ===

−

You can also use a file manager like {{command | nautilus}}, by right clicking and selecting ''Properties'':

+

{{admon/important | Use a 64 bit image for UEFI | UEFI booting is only supported with the 64bit release of Fedora.}}

+

Whether a Fedora image written to a USB stick will be bootable natively via [[wikipedia:UEFI|UEFI]] is a somewhat complex question which depends on the Fedora release, the type of image (live or non-live), and the method used to write it. The {{command|--efi}} parameter to the [[#litd|livecd-iso-to-disk]] tool attempts to make a stick written with that tool natively UEFI bootable.

+

+

As of {{FedoraVersion|long|20}}, all sticks written using [[#quickstarts|"direct write" methods]] should be UEFI-bootable, at least some sticks written with [[#luc|liveusb-creator]] should be UEFI-bootable, and all sticks written with {{command|livecd-iso-to-disk --format --reset-mbr --efi}} should be UEFI-bootable. Use of {{command|--efi}} without {{command|--format}} and {{command|--reset-mbr}} can be considered a 'best effort', and may not produce a UEFI-bootable stick. Sticks written with other methods and tools will most probably not be UEFI-bootable.

+

+

If you boot a Fedora stick in UEFI native mode and install from it, you will get a UEFI native installation of Fedora. If you wish to do a BIOS native installation of Fedora, you must ensure you boot your stick in BIOS compatibility mode, if your firmware has this capability. The interface for choosing the mode used to boot varies between systems, and so we cannot give precise instructions on this. If you have difficulty, you may want to use a method which is known ''not'' to produce a UEFI-bootable stick, and hence force your firmware to boot it in BIOS compatibility mode.

+

+

== Checking USB disk size / free space ==

+

+

As noted before, the disk must have a certain amount of storage space depending on the type of image you select. If you use a destructive method, the stick must be at least that size; if you use a non-destructive method, it must have at least that much free space. Whichever operating system you are using, you can usually check this with a file manager, usually by right clicking and selecting ''Properties''. Here is a screenshot of how this looks on GNOME:

Remember, the most reliable methods, which are recommended if you do not need to preserve the contents of your stick or use any of the advanced features such as storage persistence, are the "direct write" methods described [[#quickstarts|above]]. Only use these alternative methods if you need to preserve the contents of your stick, or use advanced features.

−

[[Image:Fedora_Live_USB_creator.png]]

+

After the "direct write" methods, [[#litd|The livecd-iso-to-disk method]] is the second most reliable, and supports all Fedora images and the full range of advanced features. However, it is a command-line tool, and only available for Fedora. [[#luc|The liveusb-creator method]] is less reliable and cannot write non-live images, but it is graphical, supports data persistence and non-destructive writing, and is easily available for Windows, OS X and Fedora.

−

Fedora USB sticks can be created using the [http://fedorahosted.org/liveusb-creator liveusb-creator] utility. Note that this utility is only capable of writing Live images.

+

The reliability, ease of use and feature availability of other methods, including [[#unetbootin|UNetbootin]], is questionable, and Fedora may be unable to offer support for them.

−

You can use Add/Remove Programs and search for ''liveusb-creator'', or use the command line:

To start, run {{command|liveusb-creator}} on the command line or search liveusb-creator on the GNOME activities overview.

+

[[Image:Fedora_Live_USB_creator.png]]

−

To use the tool, simply select a Fedora release to download from the drop-down box at top-right (or select an ISO you have already downloaded using the ''Browse'' button at top-left), select the USB stick to which you wish to write the image from the ''Target Device'' drop-down box, and hit the ''Create Live USB'' button.

+

Fedora live USB sticks can be created on Windows and Fedora using the [http://fedorahosted.org/liveusb-creator liveusb-creator] utility. It cannot create USB sticks from the non-live installer images.

−

=== Another graphical method: using Unetbootin ===

+

It is graphical, easy to use, is non-destructive (does not destroy existing data on the stick), and supports [[#Data persistence|data persistence]]. However, please be aware that it is not quite as actively maintained or heavily tested as the "direct write" methods, and can produce a stick that fails to boot on some systems, depending on the pre-existing format of the stick and the system firmware.

−

{{admon/warning | About Unetbootin | Following each release, Fedora support volunteers receive reports of problems with installation images created by Unetbootin. Using the most recent version of Unetbootin available has been known to improve results. While your results may vary, it is usually the case that the liveusb-creator, livecd-iso-to-disk and dd methods give better results than unetbootin. If you encounter problems with Unetbootin, please contact the Unetbootin developers, not the Fedora developers.}}

+

On Fedora, you can use a Fedora graphical software installation tool to install the {{package|liveusb-creator}} package, or use the command line:

−

Unetbootin is a graphical bootable USB image creator. Using it will allow you to preserve any data you have in the USB drive.

+

: {{command|su -c 'yum install liveusb-creator'}}

−

[[Image:Unetbootin_gtk3.png]]

+

On Windows, you can download the installer from [http://fedorahosted.org/liveusb-creator the liveusb-creator site].

−

* Download Unetbootin latest version from http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ and install it.

+

To run the tool, look for '''Fedora LiveUSB Creator''' in the system menus, or (in Fedora) run {{command|liveusb-creator}} on the command line.

−

* You might have to type the root password when running it.

+

−

* Click on '''Diskimage''' and search for the ISO file you downloaded.

+

−

* Select Type: USB drive and choose ''sdX'' drive.

+

−

* Press OK.

+

−

{{admon/note | Note | If you do not see ''sdX'' listed, you might have to reformat the drive, '''effectively loosing all your data on the drive''': <pre>su -c "umount /dev/sdX"

+

To use the tool, click the refresh button next to the list of images at the top-right (to refresh the list of available images from the Fedora mirrors), then select a Fedora release to download from the drop-down box (or select an ISO you have already downloaded using the ''Browse'' button at top-left), select the USB stick to which you wish to write the image from the ''Target Device'' drop-down box, and hit the ''Create Live USB'' button.

−

su -c "mkfs.vfat -I /dev/sdX"</pre>.}}

+

−

=== Simple command line method: write the image directly ===

+

You can use the slider at bottom-right to make some space available for data persistence if you choose: see the [[#Data persistence|data persistence]] section for details on how this feature works, and its implications.

−

{{admon/warning | CAUTION | This will erase all data on the USB drive! Please read the instructions below ''carefully'' and make sure you write the right drive label ''(sdX)''.}}

+

{{anchor|#device}}

+

=== Identifying a stick by {{filename|/dev}} name on Linux ===

−

To write the ISO file directly to the disk, run:

+

The following methods will require you to know the {{filename|/dev}} name for your USB stick - e.g. {{filename|/dev/sdc}} - when using them on Linux. To find this out:

where sdX will be sdb, sdc, sdd, etc. '''Take note of this label''' as it is the name of the disk you will use. We'll call it ''sdX'' from now on. If you have connected more than one USB stick to the system, be careful that you identify the correct one - often you will see a manufacturer name or capacity in the output which you can use to make sure you identified the correct stick.

{{admon/warning | Reliability not assured | Following each release, Fedora support volunteers receive reports of problems with installation images created by UNetbootin. Using the most recent version of UNetbootin available has been known to improve results. UNetbootin may work in some cases but not others - for instance, it will likely create a stick that is bootable in BIOS mode, but not UEFI mode. Fedora cannot guarantee support for UNetbootin-written images.}}

Note that the process will take some time and you will not see any information while it is running.

+

While your results may vary, it is usually the case that the [[#quickstarts|direct write]], [[#litd|livecd-iso-to-disk]], and [[#luc|liveusb-creator]] methods give better results than UNetbootin. If you encounter problems with UNetbootin, please contact the UNetbootin developers, not the Fedora developers.

UNetbootin is a graphical, bootable USB image creator. Using it will allow you to preserve any data you have in the USB drive. If you have trouble booting, however, you may wish to try with a blank, cleanly FAT32-formatted drive.

−

The {{command|livecd-iso-to-disk}} is the most capable and often most reliable method of writing a Fedora ISO image to a USB stick, but can only reliably be used from within Fedora. It does not work in Windows and is not supported (and will usually fail) in non-Fedora distributions. Please use the liveusb-creator tool, dd (or an equivalent tool), or a third-party tool such as unetbootin on other operating systems. It is also not a good idea to try and write a new Fedora release using the version of {{command|livecd-iso-to-disk}} in a much older Fedora release: it is best to only use a release a maximum of two versions older than the release you are trying to write.

+

If you are running a 64-bit Linux distribution, UNetbootin may fail to run until you install the 32-bit versions of quite a lot of system libraries. Fedora cannot help you with this: please direct feedback on this issue to the UNetbootin developers.

+

+

[[Image:Unetbootin_gtk3.png]]

+

+

# Download the latest UNetbootin version from [http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/ the official site] and install it. On Linux, the download is an executable file: save it somewhere, change it to be executable (using {{command|chmod ugo+x filename}} or a file manager), and then run it.

+

# Launch UNetbootin. On Linux, you might have to type the root password.

+

# Click on '''Diskimage''' and search for the ISO file you downloaded.

{{admon/note | Drive not visible | If you do not see ''sdX'' listed, you might have to reformat the drive. You can do this from most file manager or disk utility tools, e.g. the GNOME disk utility ("Disks") on Fedora. The FAT32 format is most likely to result in a bootable stick. This will cause you to lose all data on the drive.}}

{{admon/important | Potentially destructive method | This method will destroy all data on the USB stick ''if the '''--format''' parameter is passed''.}}

+

+

The ''livecd-iso-to-disk'' tool is the most capable, non-destructive, and second most reliable method of writing a Fedora ISO image to a USB stick, but it can be used reliably only from within Fedora. It does not work in Windows or OS X, and is not supported (and will usually fail) in non-Fedora distributions. Please use (in order of preference) [[#quickstarts|the direct write methods]], [[#luc|liveusb-creator]], [[#unetbootin|UNetbootin]] or other third-party tool on other operating systems. It is also not a good idea to try and write a new Fedora release using the version of ''livecd-iso-to-disk'' in a much older Fedora release: It is best to only use a release a maximum of two versions older than the release you are trying to write.

+

+

Make sure the ''livecd-tools'' RPM is installed with the command:

+

+

: {{command|rpm -q livecd-tools}}

−

Make sure the livecd-tools RPM is installed with the command {{command|rpm -q livecd-tools}}.

You will see the name of the RPM and a version number if it is installed, or no output if it is not installed.

You will see the name of the RPM and a version number if it is installed, or no output if it is not installed.

−

If "livecd-tools" is not installed, install it using this command, or PackageKit: {{command|su -c 'yum install livecd-tools'}}

+

If ''livecd-tools'' is not installed, install it using this command, or a graphical software installation tool:

+

+

: {{command|su -c 'yum install livecd-tools'}}

+

+

Detailed usage information is available in the first pages of the [http://git.fedorahosted.org/cgit/livecd/tree/tools/livecd-iso-to-disk.sh#n27 livecd-iso-to-disk script], which you can also see by running this command:

−

Detailed usage information is available in the first pages of the [http://git.fedorahosted.org/cgit/livecd/tree/tools/livecd-iso-to-disk.sh#n27 livecd-iso-to-disk script], which you can also see by running {{command|su -c 'livecd-iso-to-disk --help'}}. Basic examples follow.

+

: {{command|su -c 'livecd-iso-to-disk --help'}}

−

To make an existing USB stick bootable as a Fedora image without deleting any of the data on it, make sure that the USB drive is not mounted before executing the following, and give the root password when prompted: {{command|su -c "livecd-iso-to-disk Fedora-17-x86_64-Live-Desktop.iso /dev/sdX"}}

To make an existing USB stick bootable as a Fedora image - without deleting any of the data on it - make sure that the USB drive is not mounted before executing the following, and give the root password when prompted:

If necessary, you can have {{command|livecd-iso-to-disk}} re-partition and re-format the target stick: {{command|su -c "livecd-iso-to-disk --format --msdos --reset-mbr Fedora-17-x86_64-Live-Desktop.iso /dev/sdX"}}

+

−

==== UEFI boot of USB sticks ====

+

{{admon/warning | CAUTION: | Using the {{command|--format}} option in the following command will erase all data on the USB drive! Please read the instructions below ''carefully''.}}

−

Whether a Fedora image written to a USB stick will be bootable natively via [[wikipedia:UEFI|UEFI]] is a somewhat complex question which depends on the Fedora release, the type of image (live or non-live), and the method used to write it. The {{command|--efi}} parameter to the {{command|livecd-iso-to-disk}} tool attempts to make a stick written with that tool natively UEFI bootable.

+

If necessary, you can have ''livecd-iso-to-disk'' re-partition and re-format the target stick:

−

As of {{FedoraVersion|long|17}}, all images written using the ''dd'' method should be UEFI-bootable, and all images written with {{command|livecd-iso-to-disk --format --reset-mbr --efi}} should also be UEFI-bootable. Use of {{command|--efi}} without {{command|--format}} and {{command|--reset-mbr}} can be considered a 'best effort', and may not produce a UEFI-bootable stick.

If you are already running a live CD, DVD, or USB and want to convert that into a bootable USB stick, run the following command: {{command|su -c "livecd-iso-to-disk /run/initramfs/livedev /dev/sdX"}}

+

{{admon/important | Destructive method | This method will destroy all data on the USB stick. Alternative, non-destructive methods are described elsewhere in this document.}}

−

(For versions before Fedora 17, use {{Code|/dev/live}} instead of {{Code|/run/initramfs/livedev}}.)

+

This method is equivalent to the other "direct write" methods described in the [[#quickstarts|Quickstarts section]], but uses a command line utility named {{command|dd}}. Like the other "direct write" methods, it will destroy all data on the stick and does not support any of the advanced features like data persistence, but it is a very reliable method. The {{command|dd}} tool is available on most Unix-like operating systems, including Linux distributions and OS X, and [http://www.chrysocome.net/dd a Windows port is available].

−

==== Data persistence ====

+

The first step is to [[#device|identify the name of the USB drive partition.]] If using this method on Windows, with the port linked above, the {{command|dd --list}} command should provide you with the correct name.

(For versions before Fedora 17, use {{filename|/dev/live}} instead of {{filename|/run/initramfs/livedev}}.)

+

+

== Booting the image ==

+

+

[[Image:Bios_USB_boot.jpg|thumb|right|Set USB as first boot device. Your BIOS may be different.]]

+

+

# Power off the computer.

+

# Plug the USB drive into a USB port.

+

# Remove all other portable media, such as CD, DVD, or floppy disks.

+

# Power on the computer.

+

# If the computer is configured to automatically boot from the USB drive, you will see a screen that says "Automatic boot in 10 seconds..." with a countdown (unless you do a native UEFI boot, where you will see a rather more minimal boot menu).

+

+

If the computer starts to boot off the hard drive as normal, you'll need to manually configure it to boot off the USB drive.

+

+

# Wait for a safe point to reboot safely.

+

# As the machine starts to reboot, watch carefully for instructions on which key to press (usually a function key or Escape) to enter the boot device selection menu, or "BIOS setup". Press and hold that key. If you miss the window of opportunity (often only a few seconds) then reboot and try again.

+

# Use the BIOS setup menu to put your USB drive first in the boot sequence. It might be listed as a hard drive rather than a removable drive. Each hardware manufacturer has a slightly different method for doing so. '''Use caution!''' Your computer could become unbootable or lose functionality if you change any other settings. Though these settings can be reverted, you'll need to remember what you changed in order to do so. If you have a UEFI firmware, you may see choices to boot the stick in UEFI native mode or BIOS compatibility mode: remember that, if you intend to install Fedora, a UEFI native boot will result in a UEFI native Fedora installation, while a BIOS compatibility mode boot will result in a BIOS native Fedora installation.

+

# Save the changes, exit, and the computer should boot the Live USB drive.

+

+

== Data persistence ==

Data persistence means that your files and settings will remain even after you reboot your live system. You can perform updates just like a regular installation to your hard disk, except that kernel updates require [[#Kernel updates|manual intervention]] and [[#limited overlay|overlay space may be insufficient]]. The primary use of this feature is booting a USB stick with your live image as well as the persistent changes. Note that you will need to have space on your target USB stick for the live image plus your overlay plus any other data you want on the stick.

Data persistence means that your files and settings will remain even after you reboot your live system. You can perform updates just like a regular installation to your hard disk, except that kernel updates require [[#Kernel updates|manual intervention]] and [[#limited overlay|overlay space may be insufficient]]. The primary use of this feature is booting a USB stick with your live image as well as the persistent changes. Note that you will need to have space on your target USB stick for the live image plus your overlay plus any other data you want on the stick.

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Use the ''Graphical Method'' described above to do this easily. There is a graphical slider in the interface you can use to assign space on the target stick for persistent storage.

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Use the [[#luc|liveusb-creator tool]] described above to do this easily. There is a graphical slider in the interface you can use to assign space on the target stick for persistent storage.

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If using the {{command|livecd-iso-to-disk}} tool, add the {{command|--overlay-size-mb}} parameter to add a persistent data storage area to the target stick. For example: {{command|su -c "livecd-iso-to-disk --overlay-size-mb 512 Fedora-16-x86_64-Live-Desktop.iso /dev/USBPARTITIONNAME"}}

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If using the ''livecd-iso-to-disk'' tool, add the {{command|--overlay-size-mb}} parameter to add a persistent data storage area to the target stick. For example:

−

where 512 is the desired size (in megabytes) of the overlay. The [[livecd-iso-to-disk]] tool will not accept an overlay size value greater than 4095 for VFAT, but for ext[234] filesystems it is only limited by the available space.

where 512 is the desired size (in megabytes) of the overlay. The ''livecd-iso-to-disk'' tool will not accept an overlay size value greater than 4095 for VFAT, but for ext[234] filesystems it is only limited by the available space.

{{anchor|limited overlay}}

{{anchor|limited overlay}}

{{admon/note | Limited Lifetime of Persistent Overlay | One very important note about using the "primary" persistent overlay for system changes is that due to the way it's currently implemented (as a [[wikipedia:Device mapper|Device-mapper]] copy-on-write snapshot), every single change to it (writes AND deletes) subtracts from its free space, so it will eventually be "used up" and your USB stick will no longer boot (see this [http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.kernel.device-mapper.devel/14644 dm-devel discussion] and [[LiveOS_image#Overlay_recovery|this page]] for emergency recovery). Because of these limitations, it is advisable to use the system-level persistence sparingly, for configuration changes and important security updates only. Or, if you have sufficient disk space available, changes to the LiveOS root filesystem snapshot can be merged into a new copy of the root filesystem. See [[LiveOS image#Merge overlay into new image|this page section]] for instructions.

{{admon/note | Limited Lifetime of Persistent Overlay | One very important note about using the "primary" persistent overlay for system changes is that due to the way it's currently implemented (as a [[wikipedia:Device mapper|Device-mapper]] copy-on-write snapshot), every single change to it (writes AND deletes) subtracts from its free space, so it will eventually be "used up" and your USB stick will no longer boot (see this [http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.kernel.device-mapper.devel/14644 dm-devel discussion] and [[LiveOS_image#Overlay_recovery|this page]] for emergency recovery). Because of these limitations, it is advisable to use the system-level persistence sparingly, for configuration changes and important security updates only. Or, if you have sufficient disk space available, changes to the LiveOS root filesystem snapshot can be merged into a new copy of the root filesystem. See [[LiveOS image#Merge overlay into new image|this page section]] for instructions.

Line 165:

Line 253:

See [[#Mounting a Live USB filesystem|this section]] for mounting the root filesystem outside of a boot.

See [[#Mounting a Live USB filesystem|this section]] for mounting the root filesystem outside of a boot.

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For normal, write-many storage, use the ''--home-size-mb'' option to create a home directory filesystem for personal files. Home.img can be re-used and loop mounted outside of the Live USB environment.}}

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For normal, write-many storage, use the {{command|--home-size-mb}} option to create a home directory filesystem for personal files. Home.img can be re-used and loop mounted outside of the Live USB environment.}}

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The persistent overlay status may be queried by issuing this command on the live system: {{command|dmsetup status live-rw}}

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The persistent overlay status may be queried by issuing this command on the live system:

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: {{command|dmsetup status live-rw}}

The returned value may look like this:

The returned value may look like this:

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Line 262:

live-rw: 0 8388608 snapshot 42296/204800 176

live-rw: 0 8388608 snapshot 42296/204800 176

</pre>

</pre>

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where the fraction after 'snapshot' for the logical volume is that of 512-byte sectors consumed in the overlay.

where the fraction after 'snapshot' for the logical volume is that of 512-byte sectors consumed in the overlay.

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= Windows instructions =

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== Troubleshooting ==

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== Using {{command|liveusb-creator}} ==

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−

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[[Image:Liveusb-creator.png]]

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Fedora USB sticks can be created using the [http://fedorahosted.org/liveusb-creator liveusb-creator] utility. Note that this utility is only capable of writing Live images.

To use the tool, simply select a Fedora release to download from the drop-down box at top-right (or select an ISO you have already downloaded using the ''Browse'' button at top-left), select the USB stick to which you wish to write the image from the ''Target Device'' drop-down box, and hit the ''Create Live USB'' button.

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= Booting the image =

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[[Image:Bios_USB_boot.jpg|thumb|right|Set USB as first boot device. Your BIOS may be different.]]

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* Power off the computer.

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* Plug the USB drive into a USB port.

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* Remove all other portable media, such as CD, DVD, or floppy disks.

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* Power on the computer.

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* If the computer is configured to automatically boot off of the USB drive, you will see a screen that says "Automatic boot in 10 seconds..." with a countdown.

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* If the computer starts to boot off the hard drive, you'll need to manually configure it to boot off the USB drive.

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** Wait for a safe point to reboot safely.

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** As the machine starts to reboot, watch carefully for instructions on which key to press (usually a function key or Escape) to enter the boot device selection menu, or "BIOS setup". Press and hold that key. If you miss the window of opportunity (often only a few seconds) then reboot and try again.

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** Use the BIOS setup menu to put your USB drive first in the boot sequence. It might be listed as a hard drive rather than a removable drive. Each hardware manufacturer has a slightly different method for doing so. '''Use caution!''' Your computer could become unbootable or lose functionality if you change any other settings. Though these settings can be reverted, you'll need to remember what you changed in order to do so.

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** Save the changes, exit, and the computer should boot the Live USB drive.

Ubuntu and derivative Linux distributions have a usb-creator program similar to Live USB Creator. This ''does not work'' with Fedora ISO images, it silently rejects them. usb-creator requires the ISO to have a Debian layout, with a /.disk/info file and a casper directory. Do not attempt to use this utility to write a Fedora ISO image.

Ubuntu and derivative Linux distributions have a usb-creator program similar to Live USB Creator. This ''does not work'' with Fedora ISO images, it silently rejects them. usb-creator requires the ISO to have a Debian layout, with a /.disk/info file and a casper directory. Do not attempt to use this utility to write a Fedora ISO image.

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The livecd-iso-to-disk script is not meant to be run from a non-Fedora system. Even if it happens to run and write a stick apparently successfully from some other distribution, the stick may well fail to boot. Use of livecd-iso-to-disk on any distribution other than Fedora is unsupported and not expected to work: please use an alternative method, such as {{command | dd}} described above.

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The livecd-iso-to-disk script is not meant to be run from a non-Fedora system. Even if it happens to run and write a stick apparently successfully from some other distribution, the stick may well fail to boot. Use of livecd-iso-to-disk on any distribution other than Fedora is unsupported and not expected to work: please use an alternative method, such as the [[#quickstarts|"direct write"]] methods described above.

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= Testing Live Image on USB =

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== Testing a USB stick using qemu ==

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You can test your Live Image on USB using QEMU as shown in the screenshot below.

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You can test your stick using QEMU as shown in the screenshot below.

[[Image:Screenshot_qemu_gtk3.png‎|thumb]]

[[Image:Screenshot_qemu_gtk3.png‎|thumb]]

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qemu -hda /dev/sdX -m 1024 -vga std

qemu -hda /dev/sdX -m 1024 -vga std

</pre>

</pre>

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= Mounting a Live USB filesystem =

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== Mounting a Live USB filesystem ==

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You can use the [https://git.fedorahosted.org/cgit/livecd/tree/tools/liveimage-mount '''''liveimage-mount'''''] script in the {{package|livecd-tools}} package to mount an attached Live USB device or other LiveOS image, such as an ISO or Live CD. This is convenient when you want to copy in or out some file from the LiveOS filesystem on a Live USB, or just examine the files in a Live.iso or Live CD.

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You can use the [https://git.fedorahosted.org/cgit/livecd/tree/tools/liveimage-mount ''liveimage-mount''] script in the {{package|livecd-tools}} package to mount an attached Live USB device or other LiveOS image, such as an ISO or Live CD. This is convenient when you want to copy in or out some file from the LiveOS filesystem on a Live USB, or just examine the files in a Live ISO or Live CD.

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= Kernel updates =

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== Kernel updates ==

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If you have [[#limited overlay|sufficient overlay space]] to accommodate a kernel update on a Live USB installation, the kernel and initramfs will be installed to the /boot directory. To put these into service they must be moved to the /syslinux directory of the installation partition. This is accessible from the running Live USB filesystem at either the /mnt/live or /run/initramfs/live mount point. The new initramfs (such as initramfs-3.3.2-6.fc16.x86_64.img) and kernel (such as vmlinuz-3.3.2-6.fc16.x86_64) should be moved to replace the /mnt/live/syslinux/initrd0.img and /mnt/live/syslinux/vmlinuz0 files, respectively.

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If you have [[#limited overlay|sufficient overlay space]] to accommodate a kernel update on a Live USB installation, the kernel and initramfs will be installed to the /boot directory. To put these into service they must be moved to the /syslinux directory of the installation partition. This is accessible from the running Live USB filesystem at either the /mnt/live or /run/initramfs/live mount point. The new initramfs (such as initramfs-3.12.5-302.fc20.x86_64.img) and kernel (such as vmlinuz-3.12.5-302.fc20.x86_64) should be moved to replace the /run/initramfs/live/syslinux/initrd0.img and /run/initramfs/live/syslinux/vmlinuz0 files, respectively.

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* '''Note''': Beginning with Fedora 17 and updated Fedora 16, [[dracut]] no longer includes the dmsquash-live module by default. So one should include it in {{Code|/etc/dracut.conf}} with, for example,<br><pre># echo 'add_dracutmodules+=" dmsquash-live "' >> /etc/dracut.conf</pre>

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* '''Note''': ''[[dracut]]'' no longer includes the ''dmsquash-live'' module by default. Starting with Fedora 19, ''dracut'' defaults to the {{command|hostonly&#61;"yes"}} option, which precludes the ''dmsquash-live'' module. So, one can edit the dracut config file, as root, before updating the kernel (and after any update to the dracut package):

Revision as of 23:16, 27 August 2014

This page explains how to create and use Fedora USB media. A Live USB system stored on flash memory, sometimes called a stick, lets you boot any USB-bootable computer into a Fedora operating system environment without writing to that computer's hard disk.

The Live USB stick can include a feature called a persistent overlay, which allows changes made to persist across reboots. Without a persistent overlay, the stick will return to a fresh state each time it is booted.

It can also have a separate area to store user account information and data such as documents and downloaded files, with optional encryption for security and peace of mind.

You may also use a non-destructive method to create the stick, meaning existing files on the stick will not be destroyed.

By combining these features, you can carry your computer with you in your pocket, booting it on nearly any system you find yourself using.

However, if you do not need the extended features, it is recommended you use the simplest possible "direct write" method to write the stick, as this will provide the best chance of it booting on the widest possible range of systems (though it will destroy all data on the stick). The way to do this is described in the "quick start" sections at the top of this page. If you wish to use the extended features, those methods are described later in the page.

With current Fedora releases you can also write the non-live Fedora installation images (the DVD and network installation images) to a USB stick, which many users find more convenient and faster than writing to an optical disc. The "direct write" method is always recommended for writing the installation images.

Windows quick start (direct write)

Destructive method This method will destroy all data on the USB stick. Alternative, non-destructive methods are described later in this document.

Download a Fedora image, choose a USB stick that does not contain any data you need, and connect it

Choose the Fedora image as the Image (SUSE Studio) or Filesystem image (Rawrite32) - if the image file is not shown, you may have to change the file selector options or change the image's extension

Choose the USB stick in the drop-down box by the Copy button (SUSE Studio) or as the Target (Rawrite32)

Double-check you're really, really sure you don't need any of the data on the USB stick!

Click Copy (SUSE Studio) or Write to disk... (Rawrite32)

Wait for the operation to complete, then reboot your computer, and do whatever you need to do to boot from a USB stick - often this will involve pressing or holding down F12, F2 or Del.

Linux (GNOME) quick start (direct write)

Destructive method This method will destroy all data on the USB stick. Alternative, non-destructive methods are described later in this document.

This method is for people running Linux with GNOME, Nautilus and the GNOME Disk Utility installed. A standard installation of Fedora, or a standard GNOME installation of many other distributions, should be able to use this method. On Fedora, ensure the packages nautilus and gnome-disk-utility are installed. Similar graphical direct-write tools may be available for other desktops, or you may use the command line "direct write" method.

Download a Fedora image, choose a USB stick that does not contain any data you need, and connect it

Run Nautilus (Files) - for instance, open the Overview by pressing the Start/Super key, and type Files, then hit enter

Find the downloaded image, right-click on it, go to Open With, and click Disk Image Writer

Double-check you're really, really sure you don't need any of the data on the USB stick!

Wait for the operation to complete, then reboot your computer, and do whatever you need to do to boot from a USB stick - often this will involve pressing or holding down F12, F2 or Del.

OS X quick start (direct write)

Destructive method This method will destroy all data on the USB stick. Alternative, non-destructive methods are described later in this document.

Unfortunately, there is no known useful graphical tool for a direct write on OS X. The UNetbootin utility described later in this document works on OS X, but cannot be guaranteed to produce reliably bootable Fedora images. This console-based method is not as graphically easy as using UNetbootin, but it is more reliable.

Download a Fedora image, choose a USB stick that does not contain any data you need, and connect it

Open a terminal

Run diskutil list. This will list all disks connected to the system, as /dev/disk1, /dev/disk2 and so on. Identify - very carefully! - which one corresponds to the USB stick you wish to use. Hereafter, we'll assume it was /dev/disk2 - modify the commands as appropriate for your stick.

Run diskutil unmountDisk /dev/disk2

Type dd if=, then drag and drop the Fedora image file to the terminal window - this should result in its filesystem location being appended to the command. Now complete the command with of=/dev/disk2 bs=1m, but don't hit Enter yet. You should wind up with something like sudo dd if=/Volumes/Images/Fedora-Live-Desktop-x86_64-20-1.iso of=/dev/disk2 bs=1m

Double-check you have the correct disk number and you're really, really sure you don't need any of the data on the USB stick!

Hit Enter

Wait for the operation to complete, then reboot your computer, and hold down the left Alt/Option key to access the boot menu - you should see a Fedora logo. Click this to boot.

Creating a live ISO image A Live USB system is created from the same ISO image file that is used to create CD/DVD media. You can download ISO images for the official Fedora release from the Fedora download site. Consult How to create and use a Live CD for more information on creating your own customized live ISO image file.

Fedora Guide The procedure documented in this guide is also detailed at http://docs.fedoraproject.org/readme-burning-isos/ . The Guide may have different content, and be more or less detailed. If you edit this page or find a problem with the Guide, please also file a bug against the guide to have its content updated.

System Requirements

A working computer running GNU/Linux, Windows or OS X.

A USB flash drive, also known as USB stick, thumb drive, pen drive, or jump drive. For most Fedora live images, you will need at least 1 GB or more of storage space. For the network install image, 400 MB or more should be sufficient. For a DVD image, you should have at least 4.7 GB.

Ability to boot from USB media

Not all computers can boot from USB media, due to different BIOS settings and system capabilities. If your computer cannot do so, this procedure will not be useful. If you are not sure and don't mind downloading and installing an image on your USB drive (possibly wiping its data), the only risk is wasting some time.

If your USB stick is not in working order, this procedure may fail. Watch for error messages during the process.

UEFI boot of USB sticks

Use a 64 bit image for UEFI UEFI booting is only supported with the 64bit release of Fedora.

Whether a Fedora image written to a USB stick will be bootable natively via UEFI is a somewhat complex question which depends on the Fedora release, the type of image (live or non-live), and the method used to write it. The --efi parameter to the livecd-iso-to-disk tool attempts to make a stick written with that tool natively UEFI bootable.

As of Fedora 20, all sticks written using "direct write" methods should be UEFI-bootable, at least some sticks written with liveusb-creator should be UEFI-bootable, and all sticks written with livecd-iso-to-disk --format --reset-mbr --efi should be UEFI-bootable. Use of --efi without --format and --reset-mbr can be considered a 'best effort', and may not produce a UEFI-bootable stick. Sticks written with other methods and tools will most probably not be UEFI-bootable.

If you boot a Fedora stick in UEFI native mode and install from it, you will get a UEFI native installation of Fedora. If you wish to do a BIOS native installation of Fedora, you must ensure you boot your stick in BIOS compatibility mode, if your firmware has this capability. The interface for choosing the mode used to boot varies between systems, and so we cannot give precise instructions on this. If you have difficulty, you may want to use a method which is known not to produce a UEFI-bootable stick, and hence force your firmware to boot it in BIOS compatibility mode.

Checking USB disk size / free space

As noted before, the disk must have a certain amount of storage space depending on the type of image you select. If you use a destructive method, the stick must be at least that size; if you use a non-destructive method, it must have at least that much free space. Whichever operating system you are using, you can usually check this with a file manager, usually by right clicking and selecting Properties. Here is a screenshot of how this looks on GNOME:

Writing the image

Remember, the most reliable methods, which are recommended if you do not need to preserve the contents of your stick or use any of the advanced features such as storage persistence, are the "direct write" methods described above. Only use these alternative methods if you need to preserve the contents of your stick, or use advanced features.

After the "direct write" methods, The livecd-iso-to-disk method is the second most reliable, and supports all Fedora images and the full range of advanced features. However, it is a command-line tool, and only available for Fedora. The liveusb-creator method is less reliable and cannot write non-live images, but it is graphical, supports data persistence and non-destructive writing, and is easily available for Windows, OS X and Fedora.

The reliability, ease of use and feature availability of other methods, including UNetbootin, is questionable, and Fedora may be unable to offer support for them.

Fedora live USB sticks can be created on Windows and Fedora using the liveusb-creator utility. It cannot create USB sticks from the non-live installer images.

It is graphical, easy to use, is non-destructive (does not destroy existing data on the stick), and supports data persistence. However, please be aware that it is not quite as actively maintained or heavily tested as the "direct write" methods, and can produce a stick that fails to boot on some systems, depending on the pre-existing format of the stick and the system firmware.

On Fedora, you can use a Fedora graphical software installation tool to install the liveusb-creator package, or use the command line:

To run the tool, look for Fedora LiveUSB Creator in the system menus, or (in Fedora) run liveusb-creator on the command line.

To use the tool, click the refresh button next to the list of images at the top-right (to refresh the list of available images from the Fedora mirrors), then select a Fedora release to download from the drop-down box (or select an ISO you have already downloaded using the Browse button at top-left), select the USB stick to which you wish to write the image from the Target Device drop-down box, and hit the Create Live USB button.

You can use the slider at bottom-right to make some space available for data persistence if you choose: see the data persistence section for details on how this feature works, and its implications.

Identifying a stick by /dev name on Linux

The following methods will require you to know the /dev name for your USB stick - e.g. /dev/sdc - when using them on Linux. To find this out:

Insert the USB stick into a USB port.

Open a terminal and run dmesg.

Near the end of the output, you will see something like:

[32656.573467] sd 8:0:0:0: [sdX] Attached SCSI removable disk

where sdX will be sdb, sdc, sdd, etc. Take note of this label as it is the name of the disk you will use. We'll call it sdX from now on. If you have connected more than one USB stick to the system, be careful that you identify the correct one - often you will see a manufacturer name or capacity in the output which you can use to make sure you identified the correct stick.

Reliability not assured Following each release, Fedora support volunteers receive reports of problems with installation images created by UNetbootin. Using the most recent version of UNetbootin available has been known to improve results. UNetbootin may work in some cases but not others - for instance, it will likely create a stick that is bootable in BIOS mode, but not UEFI mode. Fedora cannot guarantee support for UNetbootin-written images.

While your results may vary, it is usually the case that the direct write, livecd-iso-to-disk, and liveusb-creator methods give better results than UNetbootin. If you encounter problems with UNetbootin, please contact the UNetbootin developers, not the Fedora developers.

UNetbootin is a graphical, bootable USB image creator. Using it will allow you to preserve any data you have in the USB drive. If you have trouble booting, however, you may wish to try with a blank, cleanly FAT32-formatted drive.

If you are running a 64-bit Linux distribution, UNetbootin may fail to run until you install the 32-bit versions of quite a lot of system libraries. Fedora cannot help you with this: please direct feedback on this issue to the UNetbootin developers.

Download the latest UNetbootin version from the official site and install it. On Linux, the download is an executable file: save it somewhere, change it to be executable (using chmod ugo+x filename or a file manager), and then run it.

Launch UNetbootin. On Linux, you might have to type the root password.

Drive not visible If you do not see sdX listed, you might have to reformat the drive. You can do this from most file manager or disk utility tools, e.g. the GNOME disk utility ("Disks") on Fedora. The FAT32 format is most likely to result in a bootable stick. This will cause you to lose all data on the drive.

Command line method: Using the livecd-iso-to-disk tool (Fedora only, non-graphical, both non-destructive and destructive methods available)

Potentially destructive method This method will destroy all data on the USB stick if the --format parameter is passed.

The livecd-iso-to-disk tool is the most capable, non-destructive, and second most reliable method of writing a Fedora ISO image to a USB stick, but it can be used reliably only from within Fedora. It does not work in Windows or OS X, and is not supported (and will usually fail) in non-Fedora distributions. Please use (in order of preference) the direct write methods, liveusb-creator, UNetbootin or other third-party tool on other operating systems. It is also not a good idea to try and write a new Fedora release using the version of livecd-iso-to-disk in a much older Fedora release: It is best to only use a release a maximum of two versions older than the release you are trying to write.

Make sure the livecd-tools RPM is installed with the command:

rpm -q livecd-tools

You will see the name of the RPM and a version number if it is installed, or no output if it is not installed.

If livecd-tools is not installed, install it using this command, or a graphical software installation tool:

su -c 'yum install livecd-tools'

Detailed usage information is available in the first pages of the livecd-iso-to-disk script, which you can also see by running this command:

To make an existing USB stick bootable as a Fedora image - without deleting any of the data on it - make sure that the USB drive is not mounted before executing the following, and give the root password when prompted:

Destructive method This method will destroy all data on the USB stick. Alternative, non-destructive methods are described elsewhere in this document.

This method is equivalent to the other "direct write" methods described in the Quickstarts section, but uses a command line utility named dd. Like the other "direct write" methods, it will destroy all data on the stick and does not support any of the advanced features like data persistence, but it is a very reliable method. The dd tool is available on most Unix-like operating systems, including Linux distributions and OS X, and a Windows port is available.

Note that the process will take some time and you will not see any information while it is running.

Creating a USB stick from a running live environment

If you are already running a live CD, DVD, or USB and want to convert that into a bootable USB stick, run the following command:

su -c "livecd-iso-to-disk /run/initramfs/livedev /dev/sdX"

(For versions before Fedora 17, use /dev/live instead of /run/initramfs/livedev.)

Booting the image

Set USB as first boot device. Your BIOS may be different.

Power off the computer.

Plug the USB drive into a USB port.

Remove all other portable media, such as CD, DVD, or floppy disks.

Power on the computer.

If the computer is configured to automatically boot from the USB drive, you will see a screen that says "Automatic boot in 10 seconds..." with a countdown (unless you do a native UEFI boot, where you will see a rather more minimal boot menu).

If the computer starts to boot off the hard drive as normal, you'll need to manually configure it to boot off the USB drive.

Wait for a safe point to reboot safely.

As the machine starts to reboot, watch carefully for instructions on which key to press (usually a function key or Escape) to enter the boot device selection menu, or "BIOS setup". Press and hold that key. If you miss the window of opportunity (often only a few seconds) then reboot and try again.

Use the BIOS setup menu to put your USB drive first in the boot sequence. It might be listed as a hard drive rather than a removable drive. Each hardware manufacturer has a slightly different method for doing so. Use caution! Your computer could become unbootable or lose functionality if you change any other settings. Though these settings can be reverted, you'll need to remember what you changed in order to do so. If you have a UEFI firmware, you may see choices to boot the stick in UEFI native mode or BIOS compatibility mode: remember that, if you intend to install Fedora, a UEFI native boot will result in a UEFI native Fedora installation, while a BIOS compatibility mode boot will result in a BIOS native Fedora installation.

Save the changes, exit, and the computer should boot the Live USB drive.

Data persistence

Data persistence means that your files and settings will remain even after you reboot your live system. You can perform updates just like a regular installation to your hard disk, except that kernel updates require manual intervention and overlay space may be insufficient. The primary use of this feature is booting a USB stick with your live image as well as the persistent changes. Note that you will need to have space on your target USB stick for the live image plus your overlay plus any other data you want on the stick.

Use the liveusb-creator tool described above to do this easily. There is a graphical slider in the interface you can use to assign space on the target stick for persistent storage.

If using the livecd-iso-to-disk tool, add the --overlay-size-mb parameter to add a persistent data storage area to the target stick. For example:

where 512 is the desired size (in megabytes) of the overlay. The livecd-iso-to-disk tool will not accept an overlay size value greater than 4095 for VFAT, but for ext[234] filesystems it is only limited by the available space.

Limited Lifetime of Persistent Overlay One very important note about using the "primary" persistent overlay for system changes is that due to the way it's currently implemented (as a Device-mapper copy-on-write snapshot), every single change to it (writes AND deletes) subtracts from its free space, so it will eventually be "used up" and your USB stick will no longer boot (see this dm-devel discussion and this page for emergency recovery). Because of these limitations, it is advisable to use the system-level persistence sparingly, for configuration changes and important security updates only. Or, if you have sufficient disk space available, changes to the LiveOS root filesystem snapshot can be merged into a new copy of the root filesystem. See this page section for instructions.

Issues using other Linux distributions

Ubuntu and derivative Linux distributions have a usb-creator program similar to Live USB Creator. This does not work with Fedora ISO images, it silently rejects them. usb-creator requires the ISO to have a Debian layout, with a /.disk/info file and a casper directory. Do not attempt to use this utility to write a Fedora ISO image.

The livecd-iso-to-disk script is not meant to be run from a non-Fedora system. Even if it happens to run and write a stick apparently successfully from some other distribution, the stick may well fail to boot. Use of livecd-iso-to-disk on any distribution other than Fedora is unsupported and not expected to work: please use an alternative method, such as the "direct write" methods described above.

Testing a USB stick using qemu

You can test your stick using QEMU as shown in the screenshot below.

For example, you could type the following commands:

su -c 'umount /dev/sdX1'
qemu -hda /dev/sdX -m 1024 -vga std

Mounting a Live USB filesystem

You can use the liveimage-mount script in the livecd-tools package to mount an attached Live USB device or other LiveOS image, such as an ISO or Live CD. This is convenient when you want to copy in or out some file from the LiveOS filesystem on a Live USB, or just examine the files in a Live ISO or Live CD.

Kernel updates

If you have sufficient overlay space to accommodate a kernel update on a Live USB installation, the kernel and initramfs will be installed to the /boot directory. To put these into service they must be moved to the /syslinux directory of the installation partition. This is accessible from the running Live USB filesystem at either the /mnt/live or /run/initramfs/live mount point. The new initramfs (such as initramfs-3.12.5-302.fc20.x86_64.img) and kernel (such as vmlinuz-3.12.5-302.fc20.x86_64) should be moved to replace the /run/initramfs/live/syslinux/initrd0.img and /run/initramfs/live/syslinux/vmlinuz0 files, respectively.

Note: dracut no longer includes the dmsquash-live module by default. Starting with Fedora 19, dracut defaults to the hostonly="yes" option, which precludes the dmsquash-live module. So, one can edit the dracut config file, as root, before updating the kernel (and after any update to the dracut package):